'It's a good force,' Isak said to himself, shaking off the oppressive mood, 'and I've urgent matters to deal with. Where is the lead army?' he asked Certinse.
'At the Twins, we estimate, if he hasn't passed them by now,' Certinse said, tearing his eyes away from the dead place ahead of them.
'The Twins? Torl must have been pushing them hard.' Isak pictured the dead river channel he'd once travelled down with the wagon-train. The two mountains were two-thirds of the way between Tirah and the Circle City, and no army from the south could stretch its supply lines further than that. There were only half a dozen towns of any significant size on the sparsely populated plains south of the Twins and north of the Circle City.
'It's the sensible thing to do,' Vesna said. 'Keep moving so fast the troops don't have time to think — and it'll allow the dross of peasants who've joined them to fall behind again. That sort of rabble of fanatics, madmen and bandits won't stand in a fight, they'll just get in the way of his cavalry when they try to hide behind them. He knows they're not going to be attacked this side of the Twins, and a crusade runs on its own fire. If he's lucky he can force thirty miles a day out of them — even if it does kill some of the horses.'
Isak nodded. The suzerain was a hard taskmaster, but every night he would walk the camp, talking to his men. A little consideration from the general went a long way in any army. While Suzerain Torl's battered armour and whitening head were not easy to pick out as he prowled the lines of tents, his gold earrings of title gleaming in the firelight marked him as he shared a joke or a drink with the soldiery.
'Every general has his way,' Carel had told Isak. 'You and General Lahk are the rocks they know they can depend on, powerful and unflinching. Vesna's the hero they all wanted to be as boys, and Torl's the father to every man-jack of them — and you better believe men will fight to the death for their father.'
Isak had immediately bristled at the comment and Carel had spent the next five minutes persuading his lord the comment hadn't been a veiled rebuke. The memory of his frail ego almost put a smile on Isak's face, in spite of the sight of Scree.
'Might I ask why you summoned me back?' Certinse asked, breaking his thoughts.
'You may.' Isak said slowly, dragging his thoughts to the present. 'As you know, the situation has changed. I've decided to mobilise the army and-'
'Against whom?' one of Certinse's attending clerics broke in. The priest of Vasle was the smallest of the lot, and had no sign of rank on his blue robes.
Isak had barely even registered the man's existence — and he certainly hadn't expected a lowly unmen to speak to him.
Commander Jachen gave a splutter at the interruption, but it was Suzerain Lehm who spoke first. 'Who in Ghenna's festering depths are you?' he snarled, his hand automatically moving to his weapon and running his thumb along the curved spike on the reverse of his axe, shaped to resemble a thorn in deference to his rose petal crest.
'I am Unmen Eso Kass,' the priest said, hunching his shoulders as he peered up at the suzerain, 'and my question remains; against whom is the army mobilised exactly? I have not yet heard anything regarding the heretic of the Menin.' His thin lips were so bright against his skin they could have been painted.
'Just an unmen?' Lehm said, his anger momentarily blunted by surprise. 'A damn parish priest, and you presume to question the Lord of the Farlan? Get out of my sight before I have you whipped.'
Isak kept silent, knowing he shouldn't even acknowledge the insult, but he felt his hand tighten all the same.
'Kass, you go too far,' Certinse snapped at last. 'Leave us.'
'High Cardinal, this is a holy crusade; the troops must be under the command of the cults, and fighting to destroy the heretics! There is no place in a crusade for political concerns!' the unmen protested.
All around Isak there was an explosion of furious voices. Lehm was not the only one to spur his horse forward but Isak beat them all to it. Quick as a snake he drew a dagger from his belt and threw it straight. It pierced the unmen's eye and Kass's head snapped back, his jaw falling open in an expression of surprise before momentum took him out of the saddle.
The voices stopped as the corpse slid to the ground, slowly enough for Colonel Yeren, who was next to him, to reach out and pluck the knife from the wound. He ignored the blood that sprayed over his horse's flanks as he did so.
'Anyone else,' Isak began quietly, 'who suggests command of my soldiers be taken away from me will also find themselves paying the price for sedition. Is that clear?'
The arrayed clerics were still staring aghast at the twitching body with blood still pouring from the pierced eye. The High Cardinal managed a strangled whimper and a shudder that could have been intended as a nod.
Yeren, by contrast, carefully wiped clean the dagger, a broad smile on his face, as though murdering priests was a commonplace occurrence in his world. 'Perfectly clear, my Lord,' he said cheerfully, nudging his horse forwards as he held the dagger hilt-out towards Isak. 'And might I compliment you on a fine throw?'
Isak ignored the man as Jachen moved to take the dagger from the mercenary. He passed the knife to his lord.
Show them the storm, let them fear its return, he thought, recalling Lord Bahl's words to him. Following the advice was harder; it called for restraint to follow anger, and Isak's temper did not cool so easily. But it was good advice. Fully aware that they were expecting a display of the normal white-eye temper, he kept his voice level.
'Playing games with Lesarl is one thing,' he continued. 'Your ridiculous Morality Tribunals, and whatever else has gone on in Tirah recently — it has all been tolerated. But we are in a state of war now, and any challenge to my authority will receive the same treatment.
'The Farlan are at war — a war you are part of — and you need to ensure your minions understand what this entails. If they interfere with military matters, if they do not show the proper respect, they will be flogged as a soldier would. If there is organised opposition to my command, I'll slaughter the whole damn lot of you.'
In spite of himself Isak could hear the building anger in his voice and he took a deep breath, forcing his muscles to relax a little.
'It Yes, that is understood,' Certinse managed, adding, 'my Lord,' hurriedly. 'The recent laws are no excuse for breaches in protocol, and you remain the Chosen of my God. Unmen Kass did not speak for the cults.'
Isak inclined his head to the High Cardinal and slid his dagger back into its sheath. 'Good. I am glad we understand each Other.
'Now back to the matter at hand. I summoned you here because I shall be joining the clerics' army as quickly as possible, but tensions remain in Tirah and I wish you to return and work with the Chief Steward to ensure the smooth administration of the city.'
From the expressions on Certinse's retinue, Isak realised the ploy had worked. Inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. They assumed they would be ruling the city in the absence of Isak — and his Palace Guard — but Certinse had been told exactly what powers he would have, and Lesarl was certain the High Cardinal would not overstep his bounds. It was a bit of a gamble, but Isak was sure Lesarl could handle it. And crucially, it meant the crusade would lose its most rabid of leaders, who would all be running back to the city.
'This is a letter for you to pass on to Lesarl,' he continued, motioning to Jachen, who handed Certinse a sealed envelope. 'The contents are a matter of national security; please read and re-seal it without showing anyone.'
Certinse nodded, understanding Isak's meaning well enough. The letter fully detailed their collusion, and Certinse would have to keep it from his colleagues or be forced from his position. It also concerned matters of succession in the event of Isak's death, something he would need the High Cardinal's support for, because there was no clear successor. As head of the Synod, Certinse would be able to confirm a ruler — or spark a civil war. Isak hoped Lesarl had gone into sufficient detail when he'd explained to Certinse exactly how he would be killed if he reneged on his promise.